Ekspo Balik Pulau kembali...

Menyambut penghujung Pesta Durian & Makanan di Anjung Indah dan secara amnya di sekitar Balik Pulau, akan bermula pula sebuah Ekspo Jualan di perkarangan Kompleks Sukan Balik Pulau sepanjang Jumaat, 2hb hingga Ahad, 11hb JULAI 2010. Pelbagai aktiviti keilmuan dan hiburan masyarakat akan diadakan serta peluang cabutan bertuah yang menjanjikan hadiah menarik berupa kenderaan dan barangan elektrik.

Untuk menggalakkan usahawan tempatan untuk turut serta mengambil peluang terhadap aktiviti-aktiviti perniagaan dan promosi produk masing-masing, Koperasi Usahawan Muda Pulau Pinang Bhd (KUMUDA) yang diasaskan di Balik Pulau tahun lepas, mengajak para usahawan untuk turut sama bertapak di ekspo tersebut, bersama-sama dengan para usahawan KUMUDA.

En. Nasir Sobri, pemangku pengerusi KUMUDA berkata, "Kita menggalakkan para usahawan dari hampir 300 ahli KUMUDA hari ini, mahupun bakal-bakal ahli untuk turut serta dalam aktiviti ekspo berskala terbesar ini sebagai titik permulaan untuk pemasaran bersepadu warga usahawan setempat, bukan sahaja terhad kepada 10-hari perjalanan ekspo tapi berterusan secara online dan offline".

Dengan kerjasama dengan Pusat Internet Desa (PID) Balik Pulau, sebuah agensi Kementerian Penerangan, Komunikasi dan Kebudayaan, KUMUDA berharap dapat menarik ratusan usahawan sedia ada serta melatih usahawan-usahawan baru untuk mengambil peluang platform Internet untuk memasarkan produk dagangan atau keluaran masing-masing ke rangkaian lebih 50,000 pengguna di seluruh negara mahupun ke luar negara.


Puan Siti Huraizah Abdul Rahman, pengurus PID Balik Pulau memaklumkan, "PID akan menggunakan platform Ekspo 10-hari nanti sebagai penutup Karnival Keusahawanan Sosial PID 2010 yang bermula sejak 1 JUN lalu, yang mana majis penyampaian sijil dan forum PID Koridor Utara melibatkan Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) dan Suruhanjaya Komunikasi & Multimedia Malaysia (SKMM), juga akan diadakan, selain sebagai salah satu aktiviti utama Kelab Usahawan Sosial PID."

Selain sebuah "Lobi Usahawan" yang sedang diusahakan di Ruang Niaga Seri Genting, Pekan Simpang Empat, KUMUDA akan mengumumkan pakej pemasaran bersepadu yang menyertakan khidmat pemasaran e-dagang tak lama lagi.

Ekspo oleh penganjur yang sama, walaupun berskala separuh saiz daripada yang dirancangkan untuk 2-11 JULAI nanti telah diadakan sebanyak dua kali tahun lepas (3-minggu di bulan Mei & sebulan di bulan November, di perkarangan Masjid Daerah Barat Daya al-Mokhtar) termasuk menyaksikan ribuan pengunjung pada malam cabutan bertuah pada 2hb Disember yang lalu dengan hadiah sebuah motosikal dimenangi oleh pengunjung remaja dari Kedah.

Lebih 50 buah khemah niaga dijangkakan akan beroperasi untuk menyambut lebih 10,000 pengunjung sepanjang tempoh sepuluh hari ekspo ini.

Ekspo sebegini menghangatkan suasana pengumpulan peniaga di Balik Pulau, menambah kepada sebuah Pasar Pagi (Pondok Upeh) juga dijangka dibuka esok, Ahad, 27 JUN 2010 di Lintang Pondok Upeh berdekatan kawasan perumahan Taman Seri Indah di Jalan Balik Pulau dan sebuah Pasar Tani kendalian FAMA di setiap malam selasa di perkarangan Masjid Daerah Barat Daya, Balik Pulau.


Tempahan booth boleh dibuat di http://ekspokumuda2010.eventbrite.com

Maklumat lanjut tentang Koperasi Usahawan Muda Pulau Pinang Berhad boleh didapati dari http://kumuda.org dan tentang Pusat Internet Desa di http://www.pid.net.my

Pusat Internet Desa Balik Pulau boleh juga dihubungi di talian 04-866-2706 setiap Isnin hingga Jumaat, 9:15 pagi hingga 5:30 petang.

GiatMara bantu Program Bantuan Rumah (PBR)

BALIK PULAU 25 Jun - Sebanyak sembilan buah rumah milik rakyat termiskin di kawasan Parlimen Balik Pulau berjaya dibaiki dan dinaik taraf oleh GiatMara di bawah Program Bantuan Rumah (PBR).

Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Pulau Betong, Muhammad Farid Saad berkata, kerja-kerja tersebut melibatkan kos kira-kira RM90,000 yang diperuntukkan oleh Kementerian Kemajuan Luar Bandar dan Wilayah.

Menurutnya, menerusi program berkenaan, kehidupan golongan terbabit yang dulunya begitu daif kini berubah menjadi lebih baik.

"Alhamdulillah, dengan bantuan Kerajaan Pusat, GiatMara berjaya membaiki sebanyak sembilan rumah dengan anggaran kos RM10,000 bagi setiap buah.

"Bantuan sebegini sekurang-kurangnya dapat mengubah kehidupan daif golongan ini," katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian kepada pemberita selepas meninjau dua buah rumah di Kampung Titi Teras dan Kampung Pulau Betong yang terlibat dalam program berkenaan di sini semalam.

Turut hadir Pengurus GiatMara Balik Pulau, Ismandi Ahmad Muhammad Israf Ahmad.

Muhammad Farid memberitahu, masih terdapat rumah-rumah golongan tidak bernasib baik di kawasan tersebut yang boleh dibantu menerusi PBR.

Bagaimanapun, jelas beliau, ia tertakluk kepada peruntukan yang bakal diputuskan oleh Kerajaan Pusat pada bulan Oktober nanti.

Selain itu, tambah beliau, program tersebut juga memberi peluang kepada usahawan-usahawan bumiputera yang pernah menerima latihan di GiatMara memperoleh kerja.

"Program ini juga membolehkan pelatih-pelatih GiatMara melakukan sesi praktikal berdasarkan kemahiran masing-masing," ujarnya.

DARI Utusan Malaysia - GiatMara baiki sembilan rumah daif

Campaign for Durian Trail tourism package...

BALIK PULAU, June 25 (Bernama) -- Durian will soon feature prominently in the country's tourism promotion campaign through the introduction of the "durian trail" package, Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said.

She said the ministry found that durian season was actually a good tourist attraction given the variety and quality of the country's durian, dubbed the King of Fruits.

"We have suggested that the Agriculture Department discuss with durian orchard owners and to contact the Tourism Ministry when the durian season arrives so that we can devise a package for tourists," she told reporters after opening a durian-eating competition here Friday.

Ng said Malaysia exported durian to other countries like Singapore and the people there had to pay a hefty price for the fruit.

"We can now offer a holiday package for tourists where they can come to Malaysia during the fruiting season," she said.

-- BERNAMA: Government To Promote Durian Trial Tourism Package

Even monkeys at Taman Bungah (Penang Botanical Garden) enjoy durians :D

Heat up rainy days with durians!

A jackfruit tree

Penang’s iconic nutmeg

It’s the season for the King of Fruits and C.K. LAM is fortunate enough to sample some of its finest species in a private orchard

DURIANS from Penang are very popular and the best time to enjoy them is from June to August.

However, this year, the season has arrived later due to changes in the weather.
Many people visit durian farms in Teluk Bahang, Pantai Aceh and Balik Pulau, with the latter the most popular.

Most farms are closed to the public and the few that entertain visitors are eco-tourism orientated.

We were fortunate to be allowed into the Pondok Upeh durian farm, one of the several private orchards in Balik Pulau operated by the Loh family.

Loh led us up a narrow path hemmed by fruit trees and wild vegetation.
We saw many trees laden with durian.

Apart from over 200 durian trees, Loh also grows mangosteen, rambutan, dragonfruit, jackfruit, langsat and Penang’s iconic nutmeg.

The trail included some steep climbs, so we appreciated a short stop at Loh’s house before continuing on to the orchard located on higher ground.

Along the way, he told us about the various types of durians.

He said older trees planted 25 years ago produced higher quality fruit with a stronger aroma and flavour.

The flesh is thicker and creamier than fruit from younger trees.
When durians fall to the ground, the impact often cracks the fruit open.

To prevent this, nets are set up and the fruits tied to branches with string.
After the tour, we returned to Loh’s house to try several varieties that he had reserved for us.

These fruits dropped from the trees the night before and were collected as early as 5am.

The variety we sampled include the Hor Loh, Ang Heh and Chaer Phoy.

Each had its own flavour, ranging from sweet to bittersweet.

All were fleshy and finger-licking good!
The Hor Loh (Water Gourd) is very soft and creamy in texture.

This is a sweet durian.

The aromatic, orange-red flesh of the Ang Heh (Red Prawn) with its bittersweet taste is a favourite among durian lovers.

But it’s expensive.

The Chaer Phoy (Green Skin)’s pale yellow soft creamy flesh might not look appealing, but it’s very tasty, though a tad dry and only slightly sweet.

Loh’s mother makes durian kuih.

The 70-year-old woman spends hours to constantly stir the mixture to prevent it from getting burnt.

Made without preservatives, the kuih costs RM7 per roll.
From Loh’s house we can see the spectacular seaview and the township of Teluk Bahang.

The air here is much cooler, fresher and rejuvenating.

Call Loh before visiting as he might not have any durians for the day.
Most of the fruit are already allocated for sale to traders in the city and for visitors who have made special orders.

For those not familiar with the location, Loh will arrange for a guide to lead you to the farm.

Read more at NST: Food: It’s raining durian!

Brighter hills of Batu Hitam, Pulau Betong and Bukit Cengkih in time for World Cup

GEORGE TOWN: After 20 years of relying on a generator for power supply, the Chin family can finally watch the World Cup without interruption.

They are among 46 families in Bukit Batu Hitam, Bukit Pulau Betong and Bukit Cengkih in Balik Pulau who received power supply a week ago – thanks to Tenaga Nasional Bhd and the Government.

Chin Kooi Sim, an avid football fan, said he used to watch the matches on TV1 but the generator would sometimes break down.


Clear picture: (Sitting, from left) Chin, Muhamad Farid, Chin’s wife Tang Ah Mooy, Chai Mow Hong and her husband Seak Min (standing) watching the World Cup at home in Balik Pulau.

“Imagine when your favourite team is about to score a goal and suddenly there is a blackout,” the 70-year-old said.

His son, Seak Min, 47, was glad that his father could finally enjoy the matches without interruption.

“We used to watch television at our friends or relatives’ houses,” he said.

The family had a thanksgiving dinner on Saturday at their Bukit Batu Hitam home and some guests made it extra special by bringing along durians for all.

Pulau Betong assemblyman Muhamad Farid Saad, who attended the dinner, said he was glad the power supply came two months earlier than the August target.

“The project, which cost RM1,809,433, has turned the hilly area into a brighter place at night,” he said.

FROM THE STAR - Happy viewing till final whistle

Balik Pulau still lags below national average...

...in terms of Internet speed, that is!

The latest comparative internet speed analysis from speedtest.net now includes cities/towns comparison expanded from previously down to just regions/states. With the latest findings, we now know how Balik Pulau is still left behind in terms of average broadband speed with just 1.27Mbps download speed average for Maxis (mobile broadband) and 1.19Mbps for Telekom Malaysia (TM dialup & Streamyx fixed line and Celcom mobile broadband), compared to Penang's average of 3.22Mbps and national average of 1.98Mbps.

This compares to other nearby bigger towns like Bayan Lepas or even Batu Feringghi (with over 12Mbps average top speed) and the only city in the state, George Town with nearly 30Mbps average speed provided by Optical Communication (also known as PenangFon).

To this day, the other major broadband providers in the state, DiGi and P1 are still shying away from Balik Pulau market, likely due to low number of potential customers, as although Balik Pulau is the size of half of Penang Island, it currently has much less than a tenth of the island's population.


By the way, the fastest network in Penang is neither by Malaysia's largest telecommunication company nor by its largest mobile service provider, but within the biggest university in Pulau Pinang - Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM, or formerly established as Universiti Pulau Pinang) being recently elevated as the sole "Apex university" in Malaysia, providing average broadband speed exceeding 50Mbps, ahead of the second contender, Optical Communication at slightly above 40Mbps. The two ISPs continue to keep Penang on #1 rank in the nation for many years now, even far ahead than Malaysia's capital city Kuala Lumpur or administrative capital Putrajaya. The closest contender to Penang today is Melaka, the state which shares recently awarded Unesco World Heritage Site for the States of Straits of Malacca.


However, the two giants USM & Optical can't help the nation much as our national average of 1.98Mbps ranks number 105 in the world, far below other Asian countries of South Korea (#1), Japan (#6), Russia (#25), Singapore (#30) and Taiwan (#34). World's biggest country in terms of number of internet users, China is ranked #76 for its average download speed.

Download Speed

1			South Korea	33.67 Mb/s
2			Aland Islands	24.46 Mb/s
3			Latvia	24.32 Mb/s
4			Republic of Moldova	21.26 Mb/s
5			Lithuania	21.13 Mb/s
6			Japan	20.55 Mb/s
7			Sweden	20.11 Mb/s
8			Romania	18.76 Mb/s
9			Netherlands	18.44 Mb/s
10			Bulgaria	17.84 Mb/s
11			Andorra	15.52 Mb/s
12			Liechtenstein	14.93 Mb/s
13			Portugal	14.75 Mb/s
14			Switzerland	14.36 Mb/s
15			Germany	13.75 Mb/s
16			Denmark	13.62 Mb/s
17			Iceland	13.54 Mb/s
18			Finland	13.26 Mb/s
19			France	11.81 Mb/s
20			Belgium	11.69 Mb/s
21			Czech Republic	11.41 Mb/s
22			Hungary	11.21 Mb/s
23			Slovakia	10.97 Mb/s
24			Austria	10.93 Mb/s
25			Norway	10.83 Mb/s
26			Ukraine	10.79 Mb/s
27			Russia	10.58 Mb/s
28			Estonia	10.27 Mb/s
29			United States	10.03 Mb/s
30			Singapore	9.24 Mb/s
31			Luxembourg	8.40 Mb/s
32			Slovenia	8.35 Mb/s
33			Canada	8.27 Mb/s
34			Taiwan	7.90 Mb/s
35			United Kingdom	7.84 Mb/s
36			Greece	7.59 Mb/s
37			Mongolia	7.16 Mb/s
38			Ghana	7.11 Mb/s
39			Poland	7.10 Mb/s
40			Australia	6.73 Mb/s
41			Isle of Man	6.73 Mb/s
42			Kyrgyzstan	6.65 Mb/s
43			New Zealand	6.23 Mb/s
44			Ireland	6.01 Mb/s
45			Spain	5.85 Mb/s
46			Monaco	5.81 Mb/s
47			Georgia	5.78 Mb/s
48			Faroe Islands	5.77 Mb/s
49			San Marino	5.66 Mb/s
50			Macedonia	5.61 Mb/s
51			Croatia	5.45 Mb/s
52			Chile	5.25 Mb/s
53			Maldives	5.20 Mb/s
54			Malta	5.06 Mb/s
55			Turkey	4.91 Mb/s
56			Jamaica	4.86 Mb/s
57			Macau	4.54 Mb/s
58			Kazakstan	4.48 Mb/s
59			Italy	4.47 Mb/s
60			Trinidad and Tobago	4.46 Mb/s
61			Israel	4.31 Mb/s
62			Thailand	4.20 Mb/s
63			Belarus	4.09 Mb/s
64			Guernsey	3.81 Mb/s
65			Saudi Arabia	3.68 Mb/s
66			Montenegro	3.58 Mb/s
67			United Arab Emirates	3.57 Mb/s
68			Brazil	3.53 Mb/s
69			Jersey	3.41 Mb/s
70			Cyprus	3.36 Mb/s
71			Aruba	3.32 Mb/s
72			Greenland	3.24 Mb/s
73			Guam	3.09 Mb/s
74			Qatar	3.02 Mb/s
75			Grenada	2.99 Mb/s
76			China	2.94 Mb/s
77			Bermuda	2.89 Mb/s
78			Serbia	2.84 Mb/s
79			St. Vincent and Grenadines	2.83 Mb/s
80			Kenya	2.80 Mb/s
81			Kuwait	2.79 Mb/s
82			Azerbaijan	2.79 Mb/s
83			Uganda	2.77 Mb/s
84			Nicaragua	2.72 Mb/s
85			Gibraltar	2.70 Mb/s
86			Bosnia and Herzegovina	2.68 Mb/s
87			Bahamas	2.42 Mb/s
88			New Caledonia	2.40 Mb/s
89			Costa Rica	2.37 Mb/s
90			Rwanda	2.35 Mb/s
91			South Africa	2.33 Mb/s
92			Mexico	2.27 Mb/s
93			Anguilla	2.22 Mb/s
94			Libyan Arab Jamahiriya	2.18 Mb/s
95			Cayman Islands	2.15 Mb/s
96			Martinique	2.14 Mb/s
97			Guadeloupe	2.13 Mb/s
98			Cape Verde	2.12 Mb/s
99			Bahrain	2.12 Mb/s
100			Puerto Rico	2.10 Mb/s
101			Morocco	2.07 Mb/s
102			Argentina	2.03 Mb/s
103			Paraguay	2.01 Mb/s
104			Albania	2.01 Mb/s
105			Malaysia	1.98 Mb/s

* Asian countries in bold.

Now, will Malaysia's bold project, the RM11.3-billion High Speed Broadband (HSBB) initiative undertaken by our biggest government-linked telco, TM Berhad, set to complete by 2015 help us bump up the world rank?

Let's pray it will... and author hopes that the laying of new cables along the 8km Jalan Tun Sardon hilly road stretch is in fact to bring up to 20Mbps or faster connection to Balik Pulau, soon, say by year end or early next year??

'Venice' in Kuala Lumpur is the past. Now, it's in Pulau Pinang...

ONCE every few months, hundreds of people living along a major waterway called Sungai Pinang that cuts through a northeastern tract of Penang island are made to experience their own version of Venice. But it is not the idyllic holiday scenario one would wish for.

Almost every time there is heavy rainfall, the residents have been forced to reckon with water levels that rise – sometimes as high as 1.5m or 1.8m above ground level – within a couple of hours. Rushing to remove their valuables and belongings, whole families are made to wade in waist-deep or shoulder-deep waters around their homes.

The situation has been so severe and hopeless that many have kept boats outside their houses. The worst affected area is a stretch called Jalan P. Ramlee, or Caunter Hall, where the house in which the legendary singer Tan Sri P. Ramleee lived in his youth still stands.

Topographically, the large stretches of low-lying areas along the river’s banks are just prone to becoming flooded every time the river spills over. But what makes the situation particularly frustrating is that the crisis has been repeating every year without any respite.

This is despite the authorities having looked into the matter for decades. In fact, an initiative to have a full-scale flood mitigation project along the river has been on hold the last 20 years. This in one of the most developed cities in the country.

The seemingly perennial and age-old tragedy is emblematic of the great side-effects of rampant development, as has happened in Penang for the last 50 years, without serious attempt to address mitigation measures that are required. While most of Penang has been allowed to develop with projects costing millions of ringgit, the consequent impact on areas that feel the brunt of rampant hill-cutting, reclamation and forest-clearing have for some reason not been given their due attention.

The issue has now come to a point where the residents are bursting to the seams with impatience. And every time government officials and politicians show up at the areas, the people there can only react with scepticism and scorn.

They can hardly be blamed for harbouring such derision towards the authorities. Every time water enters their houses and compounds, there is significant damage, and the repetitive ritual of cleaning up the mess is cumbersome to say the least. The area has already recorded a few deaths, notably of children, during floods over the past decades.

Very recently, before floods that hit the area last weekend, the people had seen heavy rains in September 2008 and July last year that caused sea water to rise and the Sungai Pinang to overflow and rush into their houses.

But the problem in Penang is far-reaching. With intense development and encroachment into sensitive areas, floods are affecting many other places as well.

Just last month a large residential area near a new development project around Kampung Nelayan in Balik Pualu was also hit by flooding.

The federal authorities have approved allocations for waterways and sensitive flood-prone areas like Sungai Junjung, Valdor and Bukit Tambun. But work is still needed for other major rivers like Sungai Rambai, Sungai Juru and channels in Balik Pulau.

The problem is that although an allocation of RM150 million has been approved under the 9th Malaysia Plan for flood mitigation along Sungai Pinang, for some reason the project has not taken off. This project is expected to take about 18 months to complete. It has, however, been dogged with setbacks, especially in relocating the 205-odd families who live along the banks of the river.

In fact, it was all supposed to start in the early 90s only to be left stagnant after its first phase was completed. But the most important part is the implementation of the second phase which is the mitigation proper. The authorities did make headway in April this year after the Drainage and Irrigation Department began disbursing relocation payments for those affected, and have said the mitigation works should start by year-end.

But it remains to be seen now, if after half a century of neglect and inadequate development planning, people like those along Sungai Pinang – living on the fringes of one of the most developed cities in the region – can be spared the undesirable "Venice" they have been forced to suffer for ages.

From The Sun (Wed, 9 JUN 2010) - by Himanshu Bhatt:

The ‘Venice’ Penang can do without

Himanshu is theSun’s
Penang bureau chief.

Durian Balik Pulau

PERJALANAN selama 45 minit melalui jalan raya berbukit dari pusat bandar George Town, Pulau Pinang ke Balik Pulau dari Paya Terubong memberi pengalaman luar biasa kepada mereka yang pertama kali menjejak kaki ke negeri itu.

Pemandangan hijau menjamu mata sebaik kereta yang dipandu memasuki Jalan Tun Sardon yang bengkang-bengkok. Benar, ia anugerah yang cukup mempesonakan apabila melihat satu demi satu kawasan dusun buah-buahan terutamanya dusun duriannya.

Lebih menarik, setiap kali tiba musim durian iaitu pada awal bulan Jun hingga Julai setiap tahun, daerah itu menjadi tumpuan masyarakat setempat termasuklah pelancong asing.

Kehadiran mereka bukan semata-mata untuk menikmati raja buah yang harganya ada yang mencecah sehingga RM40 sebiji, bahkan mereka mahu menimba pengalaman meredah dusun buah-buahan.

Kepada kaki durian, makan di dusun pasti menyeronokkan. Pernahkah anda memasang impian untuk bermalam di dusun menunggu buah durian gugur sambil menikmati panorama malam dan mendengar nyanyian unggas hutan?

Reka bentuk rumah Melayu

Terletak berhampiran sungai Titi Kerawang, Vila Durian milik Chang Teik Seng, 48, merupakan antara destinasi percutian menarik khususnya buat para pencinta buah durian jika benar-benar ingin merasai nikmat sebenar raja buah itu di persekitaran yang sebenar.

Mengetengahkan konsep kampung, vila yang didirikan sejak dua bulan lalu itu mempunyai ciri-ciri kemelayuan. Ia sesuai dengan idea asal pemiliknya yang merupakan seorang pekebun durian dan biasa dengan budaya hidup masyarakat Melayu.

PENGUNJUNG boleh menikmati durian segar dengan mengutip buah yang baru gugur.

Idea untuk membina dua buah vila itu adalah ilham isteri dan empat cahaya matanya. Dusun durian itu dikenali dengan nama Bao Sheng Durian Farm.

"Memandangkan saya dibesarkan di kawasan dusun, saya telah lama mengimpikan untuk membina sebuah penginapan di tanah milik mendiang bapa untuk dikongsi dengan penggemar durian.

"Reka bentuk rumah Melayu menjadi pilihan kerana ia dekat dengan jiwa saya yang dibesarkan di kawasan kampung Melayu."

"Idea ini bertepatan dengan konsep penginapan dalam dusun durian," katanya yang menghabiskan sekitar RM70,000 untuk kos pembinaan termasuk pengubahsuaian vila.

Dua buah Vila Durian yang dibina seluas 90 meter persegi itu cukup selesa kerana ia dilengkapi dengan sebuah katil, sebuah televisyen skrin rata dan bilik mandi. Teik Seing turut membina sebuah kolam mandi di tengah-tengah vila tersebut yang airnya disalurkan dari air bukit berdekatan.

Melihat Vila Durian yang dihias cantik umpama resort mewah, bayarannya cuma RM180 semalam sahaja lengkap dengan sarapan pagi untuk dua orang.

Kata anak jati Balik Pulau itu, bagi set hidangan makan tengah hari pula bayaran yang dikenakan cuma RM88 seorang.

Makanan yang disediakan pula adalah berdasarkan menu masakan Cina seperti masakan ayam kampung, sayur-sayuran dan ikan segar.

Kepada penggemar durian pula, mereka boleh makan sepuas hati di dusun ini mengikut bajet masing-masing.

Dusun tersebut menawarkan tiga kategori harga yang berbeza iaitu RM25 untuk sarapan pagi, RM35 untuk makan tengah hari dan RM45 untuk makan malam.

"Ketiga-tiga harga ini tiada beza cuma masanya sahaja. Bayar dan pelanggan boleh makan sepuas-puasnya. Tapi lebih menarik jika pilih harga sekitar senja untuk melihat pemandangan matahari terbenam sambil menikmati keenakan buah durian yang rata-rata pokoknya berusia 30 tahun ke atas.

"Kalau betul-betul ingin rasa buah durian segar, pengunjung boleh mengutip sendiri buah durian yang baru gugur," ujarnya.

Jelasnya, 200 batang pokok durian miliknya yang terdiri daripada pelbagai gred itu itu mengeluarkan hasil pada awal bulan Jun. Antaranya ialah durian jenis udang merah, labu air dan isi merah.

SABANA datang ke Malaysia semata-mata ingin menikmati raja buah Balik Pulau, Pulau Pinang.

Dusun itu juga mempunyai buah-buahan tempatan lain seperti rambutan, manggis, langsat dan pisang.

Selain bermalam dan makan durian, pengunjung berpeluang menjelajah di seluruh kawasan dusun seluas 2.6 hektar itu.

"Saya percaya, kedatangan mereka ke sini pasti memberi 1,001 pengalaman manis kerana saya akan berkongsi tip mengenali buah durian daripada cara-cara mengopek sehingga mengenalpasti kualiti buah itu.

"Ia merupakan antara khidmat yang ditawarkan di vila ini selain mempelajari kehidupan seorang pekebun," ujar Teik Seng yang rumahnya terletak di atas bukit beberapa meter dari Vila Durian itu.

Percutian kali keempat

Bagi mengawasi dusunnya dari diceroboh pencuri durian, Teik Seing memberitahu, empat ekor anjing miliknya dilepaskan pada waktu malam bagi menjaga seluruh kawasan kebun dan penghuni vila berkenaan.

Sementera itu, pengunjung dari Belanda, Sabana, 34, ketika ditemui berkata, kedatangannya setiap tahun ke Pulau Pinang adalah untuk menikmati buah-buahan tempatan dengan sepuas-puasnya.

Memandangkan buah durian tidak ada di negaranya, dia mengambil keputusan untuk bercuti selama seminggu di negara ini semata-mata menyambut kedatangan musim durian.

Merupakan percutian keempatnya ke Malaysia, ia adalah pengalaman pertama Sabana menetap di vila itu. Itupun setelah dia puas bertanya pemandu kereta sewa mengenai penginapan yang menawarkan pakej buah durian.

"Bagi saya, peluang bercuti ke sini adalah satu keputusan yang membanggakan kerana anda bukan sahaja diberi keselesaan tempat tidur tetapi menikmati buah durian sampai kenyang," katanya buah durian mempunyai rasa yang enak selain mempunyai bau yang unik.

TEIK SENG (berdiri) sentiasa memberi layanan mesra kepada pelanggan yang menikmati buah-buahan di dusunnya.

Sabana boleh menghabiskan lebih tiga biji buah durian dalam satu masa. Selain melancong katanya, pemilihan destinasi seumpama itu bertujuan untuk mempelajari cara hidup masyarakat kampung di situ terutama berkomunikasi dalam bahasa Melayu.

"Saya berminat untuk mengenali cara hidup masyarakat di sini. Malaysia sememangnya terkenal dengan sikap rakyatnya yang peramah dan kaya budi bahasa.

"Itulah faktor yang menarik saya untuk datang ke sini pada setiap tahun," jelasnya.


SUMBER: Kosmo Online - Menginap di dusun durian (7 Jun 2010)

Back track to 2009... >>

Pesta Durian & Makanan @ Anjung Indah (1-30 JUN 2010)

Musim durian dah mai balik ke Balik Pulau!

Pesta Durian di Anjung Indah sedang berlangsung hingga 30 JUN 2010!

Selain daripada jualan di tepi-tepi jalan sekitar Balik Pulau dan bandar-bandar berdekatan, sebuah pesta durian juga sedang dianjurkan bermula 1hb hingga 30hb Jun 2010, di pusat pemandangan Anjung Indah yang terletak di puncak Bukit Relau di Jalan Tun Sardon.

Pusat pemandangan panorama Balik Pulau ini terletak lebih kurang empat kilometer dari pekan Kongsi di Balik Pulau, atau dari pekan Relau di Bayan Lepas. Perjalanan dari Jambatan Pulau Pinang (keluar ke arah Bayan Baru) atau Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Bayan Lepas mengambil masa dalam 30 minit sahaja, dan dari Terminal Feri Weld Quay, lebih kurang 45 minit.

Bas Rapid Penang bernombor #502 ada juga melalui lokasi ini sama ada dari Pekan Genting/Balik Pulau atau KOMTAR/Terminal Feri Weld Quay (melalui Air Itam) setiap 30 minit bermula seawal jam 6 pagi hingga 8:20 malam (dari Balik Pulau) atau 9:45 malam (dari KOMTAR), dengan caj tambang hanya sekitar RM2 (atau RM1 utk harga konsesi warga emas, OKU atau pelajar sekolah berpakaian seragam). Perjalanan bas mengambil masa lebih kurang 15-20 minit dari pekan Balik Pulau atau sekitar 60 minit dari KOMTAR/Terminal Feri.

Sebaik saja anda melalui jalan menaiki bukit di Jalan Tun Sardon (P14), anda akan nampak beberapa sepanduk promosi Pesta Durian ini membuatkan anda tak sabar-sabar lagi untuk tiba di puncaknya...

Tunggu apa lagi, jom pi belasah puas-puas...